Carlos Tevez
finally free to leave West Ham

West Ham announced they
have reached a settlement which would allow Carlos Tevez to
leave the club.

On
Friady West Ham announced that they have reached a
£2 million settlement with
representatives of Carlos Tevez, which would allow the
Argentinean football player to leave the club. The agreement
would finally allow Tevez to join Manchester United for the
upcoming Premier League season.

Although West Ham hold Carlos Tevez
registration, his agent Kia Joorabchian claimed he owned
economic rights in the player, and went as far as threatening to
resolve this matter in High Court. This has now been avoided as
both sides reached a beneficial settlement.

A statement on the West Ham website reads:

"The settlement ends the current
litigation taking place between the respective parties and
provides for a £2 million fee to be paid to West Ham United. The
agreement confirms that West Ham United do have a valid player's
contract with Carlos Tevez and hold the registration of the
player. This will be released once the agreed fee has been paid
to the club."

And neither Tevez nor Manchester United are
wasting time - the Argentinean footballer passed a medical
earlier on Friday and is expected to sign the papers in the
beginning of next week. Tevez will not join the Red Devils in
time for the Community Shield on Sunday, but will begin training
with the club over the weekend in preparation for the new
season.

The U.K. online betting website
Bet365 (new window) offers odds
on the Community Shield as follows: Chelsea 2.75 (7/4),
Manchester United 2.62 (13/8) and 3.00 (2/1) for a draw.